One of the women, Bridget Smith, told the committee that a lack of protection and fear the shooters will get back on the street in 10 years to exact revenge keeps people from talking.

Smitherman and others believe a seven-year-old program has helped establish some trust and confidence in high-crime communities. The Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) has placed community advocates in high-crime areas to comfort crime victims and establish a rapport with others so they can have the courage to work with law enforcement.

This has helped break down some of the fear in the community during traumatic events, said Ericka King-Betts, executive director of the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, which oversees the community advocates in CIRV.

“Our community outreach advocates are there every day, getting to know the business owners, church leaders and other leaders in the community working to establish trust,” King-Betts said.

The City of Cincinnati allocates $400,000 a year to the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission to pay for the advocates and outreach efforts. While it’s hard to quantify the results, King-Betts believes the program has had an impact.

“Whenever dealing with human rights issues, it’s hard to quantify whether you’re having success,” King-Betts said. “When you look into the eyes of family members as they are attending a potentially volatile funeral, and they’re thanking you for being there so they can bury a loved one in peace, it’s hard to quantify that.”